1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of bodies and tops of vehicles. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of recreational vehicles with expansible or collapsible vehicle bodies.
2. Description of Related Art
Various vehicles, such as recreational vehicles (RVs), are known to have rooms that may be expanded and retracted. U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,756 issued to Frerichs et al. shows one such room extender. An expanded position provides more internal living space for the comfort and convenience of occupants. A retracted position conforms the vehicle to street legal specifications and increases rigidity and aerodynamic performance so that the vehicle is mobile.
A vehicle may have several rooms which can be expanded with a slide-out system. Each slide-out system commonly involves a single, integrated structure which can be moved with respect to the vehicle chassis. The movable structure consists of a floor, a ceiling, side walls, and an exterior wall which are connected together. The structure is sized and dimensioned so that it can pass through an opening in an exterior wall of the vehicle, and is typically mounted and motor driven so that it may move outward into an expanded or extended position for use in that position, and inward into a retracted position for driving. U.S. Publication Nos. 2005/0184546, 2006/0125266, and 2006/0113822 all disclose slide-out drive systems that may be used with extendable bay windows within slide-out rooms.